Remote Patient Monitoring Service Developed by College Alumnus

Sam Beger, MD, a graduate of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix’s Class of 2021, cares about the future of medicine and understands the limitations of living in remote areas. Whether it’s distance between rural communities and specialty health care providers or distance between Earth and astronauts in space, an innovative solution to this ongoing problem is crucial; and that is exactly what Dr. Beger and his co-founders set out to develop.

Dr. Beger, now an emergency medicine physician and space medicine fellow at UT Health in Houston, Texas, has focused his work on one of medicine’s most urgent challenges: how to extend specialist expertise to patients in rural, remote or resource constrained environments. That mission became the foundation for Tether Supervision, a rapidly growing telehealth company designed to improve patient access, strengthen safety and modernize physician supervision through technology. He first encountered this issue while in medical school and continues to witness it in his current fellowship endeavors.   

“I felt exceptionally well prepared,” Dr. Beger said of his time at the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix. “Medicine is evolving, and my  early exposure to innovative clinical environments and real world challenges while at the college provided me with the foundation to develop solutions like this.”

Dr. Beger, who grew up in Phoenix and earned his undergraduate degree from Arizona State University, said some of his most impactful training came during rural rotations in medical school.

During a rotation at Tséhootsooí Medical Center in Fort Defiance, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation, he saw firsthand how geography, infrastructure limitations and workforce shortages can complicate care delivery for rural communities.

He recalled caring for an elderly Navajo woman with congestive heart failure who was determined to return home to tend to her sheep, her livelihood and way of life. Rather than keeping her hospitalized, the team leveraged telemedicine follow-ups and remote monitoring to safely discharge her while maintaining contact, ensuring she remained closely monitored and supported even miles away from the care team.

“That was medicine at a distance,” Dr. Beger said. “It proved that we can expand access to care while maintaining, and even enhancing, patient safety.”

He also completed a space medicine rotation during medical school — a formative experience that helped shape his future fellowship work in Houston and deepened his interest in identifying ways to deliver expert care, even when a physician cannot be physically present.

During residency, Beger recognized another major access challenge: federal supervision requirements for contrast-enhanced CT and MRI exams. Because contrast administration carries a risk of allergic or adverse reaction, physician supervision is required. In rural and underserved areas already facing physician shortages, that requirement can delay essential imaging and create operational barriers for patients and providers alike.

To address that challenge, Dr. Beger and his co-founders, Cory Wynn and Zack Timmons, MD — whom he met in residency — created Tether Supervision, a health care technology platform that offers real-time virtual physician oversight for outpatient imaging centers. The company helps over 100 imaging providers maintain access, safety and compliance by connecting on-site teams with remotely available physicians through a secure care model designed for contrast-enhanced imaging and other time-sensitive services.

Using Tether’s secure, HIPAA- and SOC 2-compliant platform, health care providers can connect imaging centers with supervising physicians through a tablet-based system on-site. Tether Supervision also trains on-site nurses, technologists and clinical staff in advanced contrast reaction protocols — including ACLS-style emergency training — so teams are equipped to act quickly and confidently if a patient needs urgent support. If a reaction occurs, Tether physicians can direct care immediately, support escalation and follow-up after discharge.

“We’re focused on expanding access to physicians where and when patients need it most,” Beger said. “No patient  should have to wait 30 days for a critical scan simply because there isn’t a doctor physically sitting in the building. Access to timely care shouldn’t be limited by geography”

The company currently provides services across the country, spanning from Alaska to the U.S. Virgin Islands — areas where physician coverage can be especially limited. In some island communities, radiologists previously traveled by seaplane between locations to satisfy supervision requirements. Now, through Tether Supervision’s virtual care platform, physicians can provide oversight remotely, helping centers improve access, reduce delays and expand imaging availability for patients who otherwise might face significant barriers to care.

Dr. Beger sees a direct connection between his entrepreneurial work and his fellowship in space medicine.

In Houston, he helps develop medical protocols for future space missions, where astronauts must perform procedures with remote guidance from experts on Earth.

“In space medicine, you have to train the on-site person incredibly well,” he said. “You can’t physically be there, so you need strong protocols, strong preparation and reliable communication.”

Those same principles guide Tether Supervision’s care model: rigorous training, clear emergency protocols and reliable technology that connects expertise to where it’s needed most

Supported by a growing team of physicians and staff, Tether Supervision is continuing to expand its reach. Beger envisions future applications across cardiac stress testing, infusion services, radiation oncology, tele-emergency support, and other areas where remote physician supervision and remote patient monitoring can improve access and strengthen clinical operations.

While his work now spans settings from rural Arizona and remote Alaska to the frontiers of aerospace medicine, Dr. Beger credits the College of Medicine – Phoenix for laying the groundwork.

“The experiences I had there — especially in rural medicine and early exposure to space medicine — really shaped how I think about access and innovation,” he said.

For Beger, the mission is simple: make expert care available anywhere — whether that is a Navajo Nation community, an island clinic a rural imaging center, or someday, far beyond.